Alya dances around the river of Eden, the crystal blue sky reflecting off the dazzling waters. The lily pads serve as a ground to the frogs. Holding them upwards away from the water as they hop around. The river meets the end of the floating island. And down it falls into the blue abyss. Alya always wondered what lied underneath her. And where her parents might be. The wind swirls around her as her bright blue dress and blown-in which she anchors. Her fluttering brown hair, covering her sky-blue eyes. The croaking frogs overpowered her giggles. She lost her balance and fell on the ground.
“You okay?” Said a voice from behind. Alya turned around to find Liliana offering her hand. Alya took her hand and got up.
“Yeah.” Alya thanked Liliana with a surprised tone. “I’m shocked you’re here. Are you even allowed to be here?”
“When you live your entire life unable to leave at all times you tend to find ways to overcome such obstacles”
“Will you get in trouble?”
“Since when did Alya ever think about getting in trouble?”
Alya kept quiet knowing Liliana was correct. She was hardly worried. She was jealous. No one cared about when and where Alya was going. She envied Liliana. She was royalty. Her blood is valuable. Somehow worth more than Alya’s. Although Liliana never saw it that way. She was disgusted by the way others treated Alya. Alya acknowledged that. She always cared about Liliana. Although they always have to meet discreetly. They were caught once and it took a crying, pleading Liliana on her knees to stop Alya from getting sentenced to descend. After that the entirety of Eden was on lockdown. And ever since then no one dared to be with Alya. Not even other orphans.
“True.” Said Alya after a long pause.
Alya noticed Liliana’s confused look.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing you’ll think I’m crazy.”
“Liliana you’re hanging around with an orphan behind everyone else’s back of course you’re crazy.”
“Hey, that’s not true I’d rather hang out with you than anyone else in Eden.”
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Alya pretended she didn’t mind. But she was actually really pleased and thankful. The way Liliana saw Alya always kept her from downing herself. Liliana had so much self confidence some were bound to rub off on her.
“So, what is it?” Said Alya now fully interested in what Liliana had to say.
“Do you think there might be land other than Eden?”
Alya let a loud wave of laughter. Liliana gently hit her shoulder with offense.
“I’m serious, what do you think?”
“Well, there could be. I mean we are just a small island in the huge sky. There is no doubt another island.”
“Really?” Said Liliana, shocked Alya agreed with her.
“Yeah.”
“What about land. Not an island. But this vast land that never ends.”
“Where would it be?”
“Under us.”
“What?”
“Look at this.” Liliana took out a book hidden in her dress. She definitely snuck the book out of the royal library.
She flipped through pages and eventually stopped.
She read:
“Eden is only a fraction of Earth. A huge sphere filled with water that tastes like salt. And animals way bigger and way smaller than us.”
“What? There is no way in Eden this is true.”
“Well, shortly after the author had written this book. He disappeared.”
“Disappeared where?”
“That’s the thing. He left Eden.”
“That’s not possible where would he go?”
“To Earth of course.”
“When you look down from Eden it’s all blue. So even if there was this Earth he would have fallen to his death.”
No see that’s the thing. Liliana flipped through more pages of the book and stopped near the end. There were pictures of a triangle like thing with stickes attached.
“He called it a glider. It would gently descend to Earth.”
“So what do you reckon we do?”
“We should go.”
“What? How can we?”
“Come on, we both hate it here. Earth sounds so much better. The author stated that there were groups of trees called forests. It sounds like paradise.”
“You don’t like it here? What do you mean you are the princes. This is paradise for you”
“Is that what you think living as a princess is? It’s dreadful.”
Alya now extremely offended and hurt. “You haven’t seen anything.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean to offend you.”
Alya stormed off. How dare she say her life is dreadful? She has everything.
When Alya felt strong emotions or a deep desire to talk with someone who understood her. She would normally go to Miss Samara. A teacher who taught in the school. Orphans were allowed to attend the school since the rich and royalty had private teachers who taught their kids. Miss Samara was always accepting and sympathetic. Alya’s maternal figure. She always helped her understand her surrounding and other’s thoughts and emotions. She helped Alya discover self worth and value. Alya often pitied the other orphans and how they treated one another. Eden shunned them so much that they believe what everyone else says about their worth. They even began to treat fellow orphans the way others treated them. Orphans normally were the children of parents who were sentenced to descend. In Eden blood is everything.